Improvement in carriage-springs



M. L. BALLARD.

Carriage-Spring.

No. 53,556 Patented Apr. 3. 186B.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITNOGRAPHER. WASNINGYON, n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

M. L. BALLARD, or CANTON, orno.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRIAGE-SPRINGS, 800.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,556, dated April 3,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, M. L. BALLARD, of Canton, in the county of Stark andState of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carriageand other Springs; and Ido hereby declare that the following isa full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 represents a perspective view of the spring. Fig.2 represents alongitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 represents, on an enlargedscale and in perspective, one of the caps that cover the ends of thespring. Fig. 4 represents, on a similarly enlarged scale, a longitudinalsection through a portion of a spring, and showing more distinctly howthe ends of the spring are fitted to each other, to the bolt, and to thecap.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur'in the separate figures,denote like parts of the spring in all the drawings.

The usual method of fastening s1.)rings together at their ends is towork lugs on the ends of the springs, or a box or cap, in or throughwhich the bolt passes. Such lugs, caps, orboXes are very expensive andtroublesome to make and form upon the plate or leaf of the spring, andwhen broken or injured, almost irreparable by an ordinary mechanic. Insome instances the ends of the springs are iastened by a rivet passingthrough and through the plates, and in others a kind of cap or box isused for receiving the ends of the spring and a bolt or rivet passedthrough the box and ends. In such springs there is no end play or motionto the plates composing the springs, and, besides, the holes very muchweaken the plates.

My invention consists in uniting the ends of the plates that form thespring by means of an independent cap, through which the bolt passes,and around which bolt and each other the plates are bent, so as to makea firm union, maintain free motion and elasticity, and avoid the workingof lugs or the punching of holes in the ends of said plates or theliability of the springs to spread lengthwise.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 willproceed todescribe the same with reference to the drawings.

A B represent an upper and lower plate, respectively, of an ordinaryelliptic carriagespring. To these plates may be added any additionalnumber of plates or leaves, to give it greater strength and capacity, inthe usual way. The ends of the plates AB,as more distinctly shown inFig. 4, are bent around so that one bend or turn shall snugly enfold theother bend or turn, and leave a space in the inner band or turn toreceive a bolt, 0, which, when the cap is in place and said bolt passedthrough, secures the plates firmly together.

The cap D may be made of any suitable metal having the requisitestrength, and may be plain or ornamental and cast or wrought. It iscylindrical in form, with heads a a in it, and a slot or cut-awayportion, 1), in its perimeter, that will allow it to be passed over thebent or turned ends of the plates A B and snugly receive and hold them.

The heads a a. have each a bolt-hole, 00, made in then], and when thecap is placed over theends of the spring a bolt, 0, is passed throughfrom head to head, and when its nut is run on the whole is firmly andcheaply united. Instead of a screw-bolt, O, a rivet may be used forholding the spring-plates and cap, though passed through in the samemanner as the screw-bolt.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- The unitingand holding the ends or plates of a spring by means of an independentcap and bolt or rivet, made and applied substantially in the manner andfor the purpose described.

M. L. BALLARI).

Witnesses:

GEO. W. RAFF, M. S. FAST.

